Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door opening prevention device in a broadside collision of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a device which restricts a door outside handle so as to prevent a door from being opened in a broadside collision of a vehicle.
Description of Related Art
In general, when a door is opened in a broadside collision of a vehicle, an occupant catapults out of a vehicle and may be greatly injured.
In consideration of the aforementioned situation, a balance weight, which may give inertial resistance force to a door outside handle, is applied, so as to resolve the problem of the possibility of the door being opened during a broadside collision of a vehicle.
Typically, according to a mechanism for opening the door in a broadside collision of a vehicle, the door outside handle is pulled by inertial force that is generated when a collision occurs, and thereby, a door latch releases restriction of a striker such that the door is opened.
In order to prepare for the aforementioned problem, the balance weight is connected to a lever of the outside handle so as to prevent the outside handle from being opened due to inertial force that is generated when a collision occurs.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, an outside handle lever 120, which is rotatable about a hinge shaft 110 in conjunction with an outside handle 100, is installed inside the outside handle 100, and a balance weight 130 is formed on the outside handle lever 120.
Here, a reference numeral 140, which has not been described, refers to a return spring for restoring the outside handle lever.
Therefore, immediately after a broadside collision of a vehicle, the outside handle is pulled by inertial force of the vehicle while receiving force that is directed toward the exterior of the vehicle, and when the outside handle is pulled by the positive inertia, the door may be opened as the outside handle lever is rotated.
In consideration of the aforementioned situation, the balance weight is mounted on the hinge shaft of the outside handle lever so as to offset the inertial force of the outside handle, thereby preventing the door from being opened.
However, the door opening prevention device in the related art has the following drawbacks.
Firstly, costs and weights are increased due to unnecessary components.
That is, the balance weight is present on the outside handle lever in order to merely prevent the door from being opened in a broadside collision, and needs to have a size, which corresponds to a handle size (weight), in order to provide inertial force that is sufficient for preventing the door from being opened in a broadside collision of a vehicle.
Accordingly, burdens of costs and weights are increased.
Secondly, a problem with the layout between the balance weight and peripheral components occurs.
That is, when an occupant pulls the handle and gets in an interior room, the outside handle lever is rotated and moved in a direction in which a gap with a glass becomes insufficient.
There is a disadvantage in terms of the layout in that if a sufficient space is not secured when performing an initial design in consideration of the aforementioned situation, a serious problem may occur in the future.
Thirdly, there is a problem in that the balance weight needs to be newly manufactured and tuned in accordance with the type of vehicle that is being developed.
That is, because sizes and designs of the handles are different for each type of vehicle, various balance weights also need to be applied for each type of vehicle, and thereby, various molds need to be manufactured for each type of vehicle, and tests need to be repeatedly performed over a number of times and to be tuned.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.